As a church, one of the most critical goals is to create a Safe Sanctuary. A Safe Sanctuary is a place free of abuse where individuals can come and safely encounter the love of Jesus and grow in that love and discipleship. Part of creating a Safe Sanctuary is caring for the most vulnerable in our community. This group is our children, youth, and vulnerable adults. We do this by creating a culture of safety. Most Christians get saved between the ages of 4 and 14. There is no wonder why Satan would want to destroy their relationship with, first, the church and then God. Our Foursquare Child and Youth Protection videos say, "God has a plan for every child's life. Hell has a plan to delay fulfillment of God's plan." Keeping our church family safe does not happen on its own. It occurs when a church takes deliberate actions to protect, nurture and disciple. Whether you are a parent, a youth, or a single person who never plans to have children, we should care about protecting and keeping our family safe. So, today we are dedicating our service to a value we hold true to in our lives- creating a Safe Sanctuary.
Safe Sanctuary- Sunday 10/2/2022
October 2, 2022
1/7/2024 - Prayer & Fasting
January 7, 2024 • Pastor Steve & Jen • Matthew 6:1–18
Have you been feeling a need for greater power in your prayers? Have you sensed that God wants to do great things in your life, yet your prayer life is not up to the challenge? Are you unable to lay hold of something God wants to give you? We have. We know how important it is to pray through a matter until there is a spiritual breakthrough, but knowing what to say and being able to pray with conviction that change is really taking place is an entirely different experience. Of course, we've had those moments, and so have you. But not enough of them. We still see too many unmet needs, and the enemy's power seems too strong in some situations. So, for a while, God has been calling us to go deeper into a discipline we had only practiced occasionally. He wants us to learn how to fast. Today, we want to share some of the things we have learned and invite you to a special season of prayer and fasting. We are no experts in this, but we have already seen enough to know regular fasting was a missing piece in our prayer life. We have seen some real breakthroughs over the past few years and feel led to show you what we have discovered.
Finding Rest - 11/19/2023
November 19, 2023 • Pastor Steve & Jen
We are about to enter the season of giving. In this season, we shop, eat, and see family we may not have seen in a while. The decorations come out, and preparation happens. We rush from one party to the next, and the streets and grocery stores get more crowded. Then, once it is all over, we try to recover from the holiday bliss. This time of year can be full of emotions for some of us. We are remembering loved ones and revisiting broken relationships. For some, this season represents loneliness and a longing for things lost, forgotten, or never had. It can be an exhausting season! There is often a letdown after the lights are put away, and the Christmas music is put on the shelf until the following year. We will need time to recuperate and reenergize for the next major event. Is it possible to do things a little differently? Today, we will see what happened to the disciples when they faced similar circumstances. We will see Jesus' response and the hope that He has provided each of us as we choose to have a time of rest with Him while we face life's challenges.
A Vision for Generations - 11/12/2023
November 12, 2023 • Deuteronomy 11:18–21
Today, we will read some of Moses' final words to the Israelites as he prepared to see Joshua and his followers off to conquer the Promised Land. Moses reminds them about the importance of the generations to teach what the Lord has done. God delivered them from slavery and protected them from Pharaoh's great army. He provided them with food, water, and resources for 40 years in the wilderness, and He was taking them to a land flowing with milk and honey! We must pass the Truth of God's deliverance and provision on to the next generation so that they can carry on the Truth to a broken and hurting world. To carry out and carry on a biblical vision for generations, we must LIVE out the word of God, TEACH the word of God, and STAND on the Word of God and then receive the PROMISE.